Not even haunted: 6 ways your home is scary to buyers

Whilst hauntings, deaths and creepy dolls might be top of the list, there are some normal things that will scare your buyers away this Halloween. Read on if you dare...

Creepy Cobwebs

A great look for Halloween decorations, not impressive the rest of the time. If your home looks uncared for, your buyers are less likely to bother - who knows what other problems you could be ignoring? Make a good impression and get out the feather duster.

A scaly sink

Layers of ingrained mildew and limescale could fill any buyer with trepidation, as they will imagine themselves having to clean it all after they have moved in. Dirty kitchens and bathrooms are top of the list of things that scare off buyers, so before your property goes on the market, put in a bit of extra effort to get these rooms sparkling clean. You may wish to employ a professional cleaner to wave their magic wand on any areas of grime that just won’t be shifted using regular methods.

Acrid Aromas

Ask a close friend to be honest and tell you whether there are any odd smells lingering in your property that you may not have noticed, but could be putting off buyers. Whether it's a mummy in the basement or just that pile of laundry you left in the washing machine for days, be sure to deal with the problem head on. Before viewings, get as much fresh air into your home as possible, but don’t try to mask smells with air freshener as this can be just as bad.

Wayward Weeds

An untamed garden could be a dream for the green-fingered among us – with endless possibility to create your own vision from a wild entanglement of soil and weeds.

However, a lot of potential buyers would balk at a challenge like this, and without regular mowing your garden could become unkempt very quickly, especially with frequent cloudbursts of heavy rain. If buyers can’t see the garden for the weeds, they may even begin to worry about the presence of Japanese knotweed. However, a chartered surveyor will check for evidence of this invasive plant when compiling your buyer’s building survey.

Ground floor bathrooms

Any property will sell at the right price but buyers will most likely consider it an inconvenience if the main family bathroom is on the ground floor of the house. It’s not the end of the world, though. You looked past it, so it’s likely that others will, too, and may even see potential for future development. If your property is laid out in this way, it’s not easy to do anything about it but if you are concerned, pre-approved planning permission can be a good selling point for a property so could be worth investigating. A chartered surveyor will be able to advise whether this is a possibility for your home.

Dark and dreary

Dimly lit rooms can appear more cramped than they really are, so if your rooms are dark enough to make a vampire feel at home, open your curtains wide to let in as much light as possible. Cluttered surfaces can also make rooms appear smaller, so clear away ornaments and knick-knacks. Consider giving your walls a lick of paint, too – a lighter colour will reflect light back into a room making it appear larger and brighter.

Do you have any house viewing horror stories of your own? Let us know by leaving a comment below.